1. Field
This invention relates to turbines that are powered by a working fluid supplied under pressure through a nozzle.
2. State of the Art
Closed-loop vapor powered turbine systems are well known. While different working fluids may be used in such systems, water or steam has been a typical working fluid and is in wide spread use today as the working fluid in, for example, many naval propulsion systems. Typically, steam is generated in a steam generator such as a boiler or similar device. The steam is supplied under pressure to the turbine and is passed through a nozzle which is directed at turbine blades to cause the turbine to rotate. In turn the turbine extracts energy from the steam and converts it into mechanical energy or rotational torque. As the working fluid (e.g., steam) leaves the turbine, it is typically a low energy steam which cannot easily be recycled. So the steam is condensed in a condenser into a condensate which is a liquid such as water. The condensate is then pumped back to the steam generator where heat is added to cause the condensate to vaporize (add latent heat of vaporization) into a vapor (e.g., steam). The steam is then supplied to the turbine to repeat the cycle. Thus steam systems are sometimes referred to as a closed-loop system and sometime as a closed-loop vapor-liquid system because the steam is supplied as a vapor and then converted back to a liquid all within a closed system. Of course in some cases, the steam is heated further to become superheated steam so that more energy is available to operate the turbine.
The condenser typically has another fluid which passes through to remove the latent heat of condensation and in effect transfer the latent heat of condensation to ambient. Thus, a significant amount of heat energy is lost because it is transferred out of the closed loop system. U.S. Pat. No. 1,137,704 (Drake), U.S. Pat. No. 2,378,740 (Viera) are examples of turbines that were devised for use in closed-loop steam systems. Closed loop systems are in common use today in a wide variety of commercial applications to generate electricity for commercial use by power utilities using steam driven turbines where the steam is created using a fossil fuel or nuclear power.
Closed loop systems are of relatively low efficiency because a notable amount of the energy to heat the fluid to create the steam or similar vapor is not used but rather wasted as it is extracted and removed to ambient by the condenser.
Some turbines or cylindrical devices may also be caused to rotate by directing a fluid such as a liquid under pressure against a rotatable drum-like device. See U.S. Pat. No. 509,644 (Bardsley); U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,102 (Studhalter, et al.). The energy available from liquids under pressure is relatively low.
Systems too that seek to extract energy from both a vapor and a liquid are known. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,446 (Hays). However Hays teaches one to use a different structure to extract the energy from the liquid and the vapor. That is, the working fluid of Hays appears to have a portion that is in the vapor stage and a portion that is in the liquid stage.
No system as been identified to applicant in which a working fluid is directed at a rotor to extract all energy in whatever form, be it vapor, liquid or a combination of vapor and liquid and to eliminate a condenser and pump the working fluid directly back into a vapor generator. That is, no system has been identified that employs a fluid drag principal for a working fluid that is a vapor or a combination of liquid and vapor.
A turbine system has turbine with a source of working fluid injected through a nozzle to urge a rotor to rotate in housing. The housing has a housing interior surface and a housing exterior surface with a first aperture formed to extend between the housing interior surface and the housing exterior surface. The first aperture is sized to communicate working fluid in liquid form from the housing interior surface to the housing exterior surface.
A rotor is mounted to rotate within the housing. The rotor has a rotor interior surface and a rotor exterior surface with a second aperture formed to extend between the rotor interior surface and the rotor exterior surface. The second aperture is sized to communicate working fluid in liquid form from the interior surface to the exterior surface.
The nozzle means is connected to receive the working fluid from the source of working fluid and is positioned to direct the working fluid relative to the rotor to urge the rotor to rotate relative to the housing. The turbine also has pump means positioned or formed between the housing interior surface and the rotor exterior surface for pumping the working fluid through the first aperture to exterior the housing.
In a preferred arrangement, the pump means includes seal means positioned between the housing interior surface and the rotor exterior surface to effect a seal there between to inhibit the passage of working fluid there past. The pump means desirably includes at least one chamber formed by the seal means, by a portion of the exterior surface of the rotor and by a portion of said interior surface of the housing. Rotation of the rotor positively pumps the working fluid received from the second aperture through the first aperture to exterior the housing.
Desirably, the turbine system has a discharge with an inlet connected to the first aperture to receive the working fluid therefrom and a outlet connected to the source of working fluid to supply the working fluid thereto. Preferably the source of working fluid includes heat means for heating the working fluid to a desired temperature and preferably the vapor temperature of the working fluid.
In a preferred arrangement, the turbine has flow control means interconnected in the discharge to control the flow of working fluid from the heat means to a vapor generator.
In a more preferred or alternate arrangement, the turbine system has throttle means interconnected in the discharge to regulate the flow through use or operator means for operation by an operator to supply signals reflective of a desired flow.
The turbine system may also desirably have a cooling circuit connected to receive a portion of the working fluid from the discharge. The cooling circuit is operable to cool a portion of the working fluid to a desired temperature a preselected amount below the temperature at which vaporization would occur at the pressure inside of the rotor. The cooling circuit includes a cool liquid supply connected to inject the working fluid cooled in the cooling circuit into the rotor.
The turbine system may also have and preferably does have deaerating means connected to communicate with the rotor interior to remove gases from the rotor interior.
The turbine system is preferably configured to extract mechanical energy from the working fluid by causing the working fluid to be directed at a fluid layer on the interior of the drum when it is rotating. The drag on the boundary layers is sufficient to transfer the energy from the working fluid to the rotor itself. As the working fluid is injected, it cools and the boundary layer increases. The second aperture and preferably a third aperture formed in the rotor are sized to communicate the working fluid in liquid form at the operating pressure in the interior of the rotor from the rotor interior to outside the rotor.
To urge the working fluid into the discharge a pump is provided. Preferably the pump here is the rotor itself which is shaped to function as a pump when combined with selected seals. The rotor exterior surface is formed with a first and second arcuate section each having a first effective radius which extends between the rotor axis and the rotor exterior surface. The rotor exterior surface also has third and fourth arcuate sections formed to have a second effective radius larger than the first effective radius. The third and fourth arcuate sections are interspaced between and unitarily formed with the first and second arcuate sections so that a section with a first effective radius alternates with a section having a second effective radius. The pump therefor has a first chamber formed by seal means, the interior surface of the housing and the third arcuate section and a second chamber formed by the seal means, the interior surface of the housing and the fourth arcuate section. The second aperture is positioned along the perimeter of the rotor to be in communication with the first chamber; and the third aperture is positioned along the rotor perimeter to be in communication with the second chamber. The seal means preferably includes a first seal positioned between the first arcuate section and the housing interior surface and a second seal positioned between the second arcuate section and the housing interior surface.
In a more preferred arrangement, the rotor is formed with arcuate sections to define a third chamber of the pump. Preferably, a plurality of stationary seals are each spaced from the other and mounted to the housing interior surface to extend away therefrom to contact said rotor exterior surface to divide each chamber of said pump into an inlet portion and an outlet portion as the rotor rotates.
Most preferably the rotor interior surface is cylindrical in shape and defines a rotor interior, and wherein said source of working fluid is positioned within said rotor.
In preferred arrangements, the source of working fluid is sized and configured to supply the working fluid at a selected temperature and pressure and flow rate to create a working fluid layer along the rotor interior surface at a desired vapor pressure of working fluid in the interior of the rotor.
In some desired configurations, the throttle means includes a regulator connected to the discharge to receive the working fluid. The regulator is operable between a first position in which no working fluid passes therethrough and a second position in which working fluid passes therethrough. The regulator having operation means such as a handle for operation by a user to operate the regulator between the first position and the second position. Most preferably the regulator is a valve.
The source of working fluid preferably includes a supply line interconnected between the heat means and the vapor generator to communicate the working fluid from the heat means to the vapor generator. The source of working fluid also desirably includes a flow control module connected in the supply line to receive working fluid from the heat means and to supply working fluid to the vapor generator. The flow control module operates to regulate the flow rate of working fluid. More preferably, the flow control module includes a sensing line connected to the discharge to receive working fluid from the discharge. The flow control module has a flow control valve connected to the sensing line to receive the working fluid therefrom and connected to said supply line to regulate the flow of working fluid therethrough. The flow control valve is operable between a closed position inhibiting the flow of the working fluid through the supply line and an open position in which the working fluid passes through the supply line to the vapor generator. The flow control module also desirable includes a pilot valve connected to the supply line to sense the pressure of the working fluid in the supply line and to send signals to said flow control valve reflective thereof. In highly preferred arrangements, the sensing line has damper means interconnected operable to dampen pressure variations in the sensing line.
In desired arrangements, the turbine system has bearings positioned to support said rotor. The working fluid is selected to be of the class that in liquid form may function as a lubricant. Thus bearing fluid means is desirably connected to the injection line in the cooling loop to receive working fluid in liquid form and to the rotor bearings to supply the working fluid as a lubricant.
In alternate arrangements the heat means includes a casing and a plurality of gas plates and a plurality of fluid plates in alternating arrangement positioned within the casing. Each of the fluid plates and each of the gas plates has a central aperture formed therein to together define a combustion chamber. Fuel source means is positioned to supply fuel to the combustion chamber. Air source means are positioned to supply air to the combustion chamber. The heat means also includes ignition means for igniting the fuel in the combustion chamber and exhaust means connected to exhaust combustion by products from the combustion chamber.
Each of said fluid plates preferably has a channel formed thereon with an inlet connected to receive the working fluid and with an outlet in communication with the vapor generator. Each of the gas plates has a plurality of heat transfer nodules positioned thereon.
Preferably, the exhaust means includes an exhaust heat exchanger connected to preheat air being supplied to the combustion chamber. More preferably the heat means includes a first catalytic converter positioned in said combustion chamber to define a first combustion zone to enhance the combustion of the fuel. The heat means may also include a second catalytic converter positioned in the combustion chamber and spaced from the first catalytic converter to define a second combustion zone between said first catalytic converter and said second catalytic converter. The second catalytic converter also functions to enhance the combustion process.
In preferred arrangements, the working fluid is an aromatic hydrocarbon and more preferably diethel benzine.